Should porn be censored on the Internet?

In Sweden a group of high-ranking female politicians, including the justice minister, launched a debate about pornography last week. In an article the proposed among other measures blocking pornographic content on the Internet. The Swedish press is divided on the issue.

Censorship cannot be the solution

Göteborgs-Posten is appalled at the idea of filtering pornographic content out of the web:

“It's one thing that the law ensures that sexual abuse is a crime. But it's quite another to start branding people's sexual preferences as 'Approved' or 'Not Approved'. When those in power start doing this they are gravely overstepping the limits of their political mandate. It is a dangerous path to want to control what people see on the Internet. What will be censored next in the name of moralism? Those who want to change the way society sees pornography should seek dialogue. But we can never allow state censorship to be the solution when politicians want to counter a phenomenon. A filter may seem harmless but it is the first step towards a ban.”

Pornography hindering sexuality

Young people are harming themselves through excessive consumption of pornography, Aftonbladet believes:

“Sexual activity is on the decline in Sweden and the US. An American study shows that those born in the 1990s are having the least sex since the 1920s. ... Their consumption of pornography, meanwhile, is on the rise. On average boys are 11.5 years old when they watch their first porn videos. ... There they see gang rapes, sexual abuse and women being humiliated. And it's with these images in mind that they have their first sexual encounters. A gynaecological clinic in Scania, in turn, reports young women wanting to have their inner labia removed so they look like the women in porn videos. Pornography is on the increase and has a profound effect on young people in their most vulnerable years. We need a sensual revolution and studies on the impact of pornography.”